The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-30
ITALY'S AFRICAN CAMPAIGN
Abyssinia's King Reported Advancing
Upon Massowah by Forced Marches,
And 1t Is Expected Great Battle Will Be
Fought There Within a Few Days-More
Trouble at Hon olulu-Foreign Notes.
THE ITALIANS IN AFRICA.

| King John Advancing Upon Massowah-A
Battle Expected Shortly.
LONDON, Dec. 29.-In day or two we shall
| hear of fighting in the vicinity of Massowah.
That the Italian forces expect a battle is evident
| from the fact that they erecting and
| strong Notifications at Massowah anticipate
the approach of King John. who is said to
be advancing upon that place by rapid stages.
He has under his command three bodies of
troops. the first column is marching via Antalo
and Algrab, the second via Adowa. while the
route of the third column, which is composed of
Shoans, is unknown.
There is some probability that reports of this
character may be exaggerated or otherwise in
accurate, as they are likely to be derived from
native source that are not wholly trustworthy.
All the news from Abyssinla, however, for sew
eral days past has indicated that hosElities
about to begin. If this report is accurate il indi
Gates that King John intends to bring the greater
part OF his available force into the field at the
outset; doubtless hoping to overDower the Ital-
ans at the beginning of the fight by sheer
numerical superiority. In the with England
King Theodore was greatly weakened after his
first rsverses by the detection of of his
powerful chiefs. King John is doubtless aiming
TO prevent the weakening of his army by similar
causes.
According to the above report it would appear
that the army of Ticra and Amara, or. in other
words. the organized forces of the two greatest
provinces of the kingdom, are marching toward
Massoweb in two columns, one starting from
Adowa, about $50 miles from Massowaw, by the
usual rorte over the mountains, and the other
from Antalo nearly 200 miles from Massowah.
This army, according to the best Information the
Italians have beer able to gather is about 80 900
strong, has 10, 900 guns of poor quality, the rest
of the army being equipped with lances aud
sabres. The generals in command of this army
are Ras Araya and Ras Averra. They have
large number of horses and oxen for the carry
ing of supplies.
The dispatch also says that third column
composed of Shoans. is marching Massowah
by unknown route The Shoans havs
siderably more than twice as far to march as the
other forces The army of Menelek of Shoa is
without doubt the largest and best force at the
disposal of King John. 1t numbers $4,000 war
rifles. When Menelek's soldiers captured Harrar.
nearly two years ago 20 0G0 Remington rifles
and 3 large supply of munitions of war fell into
their hands. This arm, all or part of which
forms the third column mentioned in the dis
patch, is commanded by the two uncles of the
Negus Meneek.
The dispatch does not mention the army of
Ras Alua, about SO. 900 strong. in the extreme
north of Abvssina, which is the hostile force
nearest the Italian forts cablegram yester-
day said that the Italian troops had been ordered
to advance 10 the village of Asmara. about fifty
miles from Nlassowah, whore Ras Alula is in
force a great table-land among the mountains,
5000 feet above the
No exact information about the strength or the
Italian army has been published, but 1t pro badly
numbers, including several thousand native al
men. The Italians eager for fight, and
though much inferior in numbers, their super
iority to King Johns warriors is great in point
of discipline and equipment.